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by Jess Gibson

A national programme of supervised toothbrushing for three-to-five-year-olds is being rolled out across the most deprived areas from April, the government has announced.

The supervised toothbrushing programme will be rolled out in early years settings and primary schools, with funding available from April, with the aim of helping children aged between three and five years old to develop positive brushing habits.

The most common reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital is to have treatment for decayed teeth, with the latest data showing that one in five children aged five have experienced tooth decay in England, with higher rates of up to one in three in more deprived areas. 

To deliver the scheme, the government is investing a total of £11 million in local authorities across England to deploy supervised toothbrushing in schools and early years settings that voluntarily sign up. Local authorities will work to identify early years settings in target areas and encourage them to enrol.

The government has partnered with Colgate to support the programme, which will see more than 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes donated over the next five years. It will also provide educational materials and a public-facing children’s oral health campaign to support the NHS.

Together, the resources are projected to reach up to 600,000 children each year and provide families with the support they need to ensure positive behaviours continue at home and over the school holidays.

Early education minister Stephen Morgan said: “Through our Plan for Change, this government is working hard to break the unfair link between background and opportunity to ensure tens of thousands more children are school-ready every year. 

“We have already started urgent work to increase the affordability and accessibility of high-quality early years education and extend early learning support, but we know school-readiness goes beyond what is taught in a classroom. 

“By supporting the youngest children with vital life and development skills, more teachers will be able to focus on what they do best: teach.”

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said: “We know that developing good dental habits from an early age can help to reduce hospital admissions, improve educational attendance and alleviate potential discomfort for young children. As such, we welcome the launch of the new supervised toothbrushing scheme, which has the potential to have a hugely positive impact not only on children’s dental health, but on their overall wellbeing.  

“We look forward to working with the government to ensure that early years settings have the support they need to deliver this initiative, and to ensure that as many children as possible can benefit from it.”